Electric connector



April 24, 1962 Filed May 18, 1960 A- NOIRCLERC ELECTRIC CONNECTOR 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 24, 1962 A. NOIRCLERC 3,031,589

ELECTRIC CONNECTOR Filed May 18, 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 1962 A. NOIRCLERC 3,031,589

ELECTRIC CONNECTOR Filed May 18, 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 April 24, 1962 A. NOIRCLERC ELECTRIC CONNECTOR 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 18, 1960 g I. v 4 r 7 3 3E A v \Q.

April 1962 A. NOIRCLERC 3,031,589

ELECTRIC CONNECTOR Filed May 18, 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 5. NH 'llll A ril 24, 1962 NOIRCLERC 3,031,589

ELECTRIC CONNECTOR Filed May 18, 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 United States Patent "ice I 3,031,589 ELECTRIC CONNECTOR Antlr Noirclerc, Versailles, France, assignor to Societe Industrielle d e Liaisons Electriqnes, Paris, France, a company of France Filed May 18, 1960, Ser. No. 29,386 Claims priority, application France May 25, 1959 7 Claims. (Cl.'307 136) This invention relates to electrical connector assembliss, and more especially to safety connectors of the type comprising a pair of elements connectable with and disconnectable from eachother by a relative angular displacement of the elements and said elements being provided with respective contacts including at least one pair of main contact and one pair of pilot contacts. In such a connector electrical circuitry, not necessarily forming part of the connector assembly, is provided; including at least one .relay operable on engagement of the pilot contacts to apply electric power to the main contacts. Further, the relative .positioning and dimensioning of the main and pilot contacts are such that on angular displacement of the connector elements from the connected to the disconnected position thereof, the pilot contacts are disengaged from each other first, while the main contacts only disengage after the elements have been ang'ul'arly displaced by an additional amount, so that no current is flowingthrough the main contacts at the time they separate, and arcing and sparking are thereby pre vented. Connectors of this type are especially designed for use in circumstances Where the occurrence of a spark may constitute a fire hazard, as in minepits.

Further, in the safety connectors of this type means were provided forpositively ensuring that on relative displacement of the elements from the connected to the disconnected position, suificient time would elapse from the instant at which the pilot contacts separate to the instant at which the main contacts would separate, so that the relay or relays would have ample time to respond and cut off the power circuit through the main contacts. Furthermore, latching means were provided for this purpose in the form of tangentially disposed set screws so arranged that such screws had to be rotated manually before itwaspossible to displace the elements from the connected position, such rotation of the screws producing a very slow angular displacement of the connector elements during which separation of the pilot contacts occurred, While separation of the main contacts only took place during the later and more rapid stage of the angular displacement of the elements after the set screws had been actuated.

It is an object of the invention to provide a modified form of safety connector in which functions generally equivalent to those present in the said earlier device as just outlined Will be accomplished in a more convenient and practical manner. Another object is to provide an improved safety connector device of the type specified, which will introduce the desired compulsory delay pen'od on displacement of the connector elements from connected to disconnected condition, while enabling them to be displaced rapidly from their disconnected to their connected condition, since at such time no compusory delay is needed and the delay would only be troublesome.

According to the invention the improved electric connector comprises a pair of connector elements angularly displaceable from a disconnected relative position in which said elements are axially separable, through an "intermediate position, to a connected position in which said elements are prevented from axial separation; main contacts on the respective elements adapted for electric engagement in both said connected and intermediate positions, and pilot contacts on the elements adapted for elec- 3,031,589 Patented Apr. 24, 1962 trio engagement in said connected but not in said inter-, mediate position; said contacts being connectable with relay means operable on engagement of the pilot contacts to apply power to the main contacts, latching means operative in at least said intermediate position of the elements to prevent further rotation thereof to said disconnected position; and means manually operable in the intermediate position of the elements for disabling the latching means to permit further rotation of the elements to said disconnected position thereof.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described for purpose of illustration but not of limitation with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a connector accord ing to one form of the invention, in the disconnected condition with the connector elements axially separated;

FIG. 2 is an end view of one of the connector elements shown in FIG. 1, as seen in the direction indicated by arrows IIaIIa of FIG. 1, the upper part of the figure being a cross section on line IIb-Ilb of FIG. 1, and

the latching cam member being shown in its latching position; I FIG. 3 shows the upper element of the connector of FIG. 1, with the latching cain being shown in the position permitting displacement of the elements from the connected to the intermediate relative position thereof;

FIG. 4 is a section on line IV-IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 3 but with the cam being shown in the position permitting displacement to disconnected position;

FIG. 6 is a section on line VI-VI of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is similar to FIG. 6 but with the elements "shown in disconnected angular position;

- FIG. 8 is a .view similar to FIG. 1 showing one element of an improved connector according to a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a section on line IX-IX of FIG. 8; and

FIGS. 10-12 are similar to FIG. 9 illustrating suc cessive stages of the disconnecting process.

The connector assembly here illustrated comprises the two broadly similar elements 1 and 2. Corresponding parts of both elements are designated by the same numerals, the numerals designating parts of element 2 being followed by the letter a. Element 1, of generally cylindrical shape, is provided around its outer periphery with a diametrically opposed pair of part-annular ribs or tenons, one of which is shown at 5. At corresponding circumferential ends of said ribs or tenons bosses 7 and 8 are provided, having inwardly projecting flanges 9 and 10. The boss 7 defines a part-annular groove 13 adapted to receive the tenon 5a therein, and similarly boss 8 defines a groove 14. Electric contact plates, described later, are provided in the respective connector elements. The arrangement is such that the two elements are mechanically interengaged by relative rotation thereof, with the part-annular tenons such as 5 of each element being received in the corresponding grooves such as 13a, 14a

of the other element, and that the contacts are brought into electrical engagement only after a relativcly'firm mechanical connection has been established between the elements due to the engagement of the tenons and grooves.

According to the present invention, there is provided a latching device including a pin 41a extending freely through the boss 7a of element 2, in a radial inward direction, and secured to one end of a leaf spring 42a of arcuate form having its other end secured to the said boss, as by means of a screw 43a. The spring leaf tends to urge the pin 41a towards the center axis of the elemen-t.

Pin 41a is adapted to cooperate with a latch cam 45 mounted on element 1 of the connector assembly. Cam

45 is in the form of a cylindrical block rotatable in a radial bore 4&5 of element 1 and retained in a radial direction by an annular flange 47 projecting from said cylindrical block and engaging on one side a shoulder formed in bore 46 and on the other side engaging against a snapring 48 received in a complementary groove formed in the bore. The active surface of cam 45 comprises a helical surface or ramp 51 having its lowermost point substantially flush with the flange 47 and its highermost point flush with the upper end surface of the cylindrical block 45, and with the outer surface of a boss 52 which lies in the path of the pin 41a during the connecting and disconnecting operations. That part of boss 52 remote from cam 45 is formed with an incline 53 which is slidably engageable by the pin during connecting and disconnecting operations.

' The cam 45 is formed with a central hole 54, e.g. of square contours into which is insertable a key of complementary shape for rotating the cam. A pin 55 projecting radially from cam 45 limits the angular displacement of the latter to about one half a turn in the example shown, the two end positions of the cam 45 being determined by said pin respectively engaging boss 53, or another boss 56 positioned on the opposite side from cam 45.

When the connector is in engaged position, the pin 41a of element 2 is entrapped between the high part of cam 45 and the boss 56 of element 1, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The latching device described operates as follows.

The connector assembly is assumed to be in its engaged or connected condition.

Thus, the tenon of element 1 is'engaged in groove 13a of element 2 and similarly tenon 5a of element 2 is engaged in groove 14 of element 1; pin 41a of element 2 is entrapped between the high part of cam 45 and boss 56 of element 1, and pin 41 of element 1 is entrapped between the high part of cam 45:: and boss 56a of element 2. In these conditions, the elements of the connector are prevented from relative rotation, and hence they cannot be separated axially from each other owing to the tenonand-groove connection established. The electrical contacts are at this time also established as will be described later.

To disengage the connector, the cam 45 of element 1 is first rotated to the position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and cam 45a of element 2 is rotated to a corresponding'position. At this time, it becomes possible, for example by the insertion of pins 58 into corresponding radial holes 59 in the respective connector elements, to rotate the two elements with respect to each other by an angle a (see FIG. 4). This movement is permitted owing to the fact that the pin 41a of element 2 is able to slide over the low part of the helical ramp 51 of cam 45 until it engages and abuts boss 52. This abutment action defines a position which, hereinafter, will be referred to as the intermediate position. From this point, the disengagement of the connector cannot be continued further without first performing an additional operation.

That is, to permit further pivotal relative motion be tween the connector elements, the two cams 45, 45a now have to be returned to their initial positions, whereby pin 41a is moved upward along helical ramp 51 as far as the upper end of said ramp so that the pin is now at a level with the upper surface of boss 53. Similarly, pin 41 of element l is now brought to a position on a common level with upper surface of boss 53a of element 2. The disengaging movement of the connector can now be continued from the angular position a (FIG. 6) to an angular position a (FIG. 7) at which the boss 7 of element It has engaged the mating boss 8a of element 2. 'During the second stage of the pivotal motion the free end of pin 41a slides along the upper face of boss 52 then down the incline 53 thereof on to the cylindrical portion of the connector element 1. The pin of the other element describes a similar path. At this time the two connector elements can be separated axially from each other.

As previously noted the connector includes main contacts such as 15 and 15a, and pilot contacts such as 29 and 29a, connected with circuitry not shown such that current can only flow through the main contacts 15-15a, after the pilot contacts have first been engaged to energize a relay, not shown. In the assembled condition of the connector, all the contacts are made. On disengagement of the connector, as the connector is first displaced from its engaged condition (FIG. 2) to its intermediate condition (FIG. 4), the pilot contacts Ztt-Ztla are first separated but the main contacts owing to their dimensioningcontinue to be engaged. During this movement the separation of the pilot contacts cuts off current flow through the main contacts through the action of the above mentioned relay circuiry. Since continuation of the disengaging movement and separation of the main contacts 15-15:: requires the performance of an additional manipulation, i.e. rotation of both earns 45, 45a, and since the time physically necessary for manipulating the cams is greater than the response time of the relay or relays controlled through the pilot contacts 2%, Zita, the certainty exists that,

as the connector elements are displaced from their intermediate relative position (FIG. 4) to their final disengaged position (FIG. 7), the relay or relays have amply had the time to operate and cut 01f the circuit including the main contacts 15, 15a. The main contacts, therefore, are disengaged at a time when there is no voltage applied thereto, and danger of sparking is thereby eliminated.

The engagement of the connector can be performed very quickly and without any riskof sparking, since the main contacts 15, 15a engage each other before the pilot contacts do, and hence the main contacts are only placed under power after closure. It will be evident, furthermore, that the electrical engagement of the various contact pairs only occurs after both connector elements have been firmly connected with each other mechanically, thus providing the necessary safety action. In engaging the connector, the cams may preliminarily be placed in their final locking positions (FIGS. 1 and 2). The pins 41a, 41, during the pivotal movement between the elements, rise along the inclines 53, 53a, of bosses 52, 52a slide over the upper surfaces 52, 52 of the bosses then on to the upper surfaces of the cams, and drop back by the action of their springs into the recess between the cams and the bosses 56, 56a.

In the form of embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 to 12, the connector disengaging process involves two compulsory delay periods rather than only one. For this purpose, the latching device includes a pawl 61a attached to the element 2 and having two claws 62a, 63a cooperating with circumferentially spaced stops 64, 65 of element 1. The pawl is pivotally mounted about a pivot 67a supported in boss 70 parallel to the connector axis. The pawl is received in a recess 68a formed in said boss and is surrounded with a body 6941 of resilient material, e.g. rubber, serving to provide a tight seal and also to urge the pawl resiliently to its latching position in the engaged condition of the connector (FIG. 9).

The stops 64a and 65a are so positioned that, during the relative angular displacement between the connector elements for disengaging the connector, rotation of pawl 61a as shown by arrow (FIG. 9) e.g. by means of a suitable key 71 inserted into a hole 72 in the pawl enables the connector element 2 to be rotated with respect to element l by an angle a until the pawl claw 62a has engaged the stop 65 of element 1, as indicated in FIG. 10. The pawl 61 is then allowed to return to its original position, whereupon the element 2 can be rotated by a further angle a (FIG. 11) with respect to element 1, until the pawl. claw 63a has in turn engaged the stop 65 of element ll. If the pawl is now again rotated as indicated by arrow 1 (FIG. 12), the relative rotation of the connector ment a" has been effected which enables full separation of the connector elements in the axial direction.

In this construction, as soon as the connector elements have been displaced by the angle a, the pilot contacts and 2th: have separated, so that current flow through the main contacts 15, 15a is cut off. The time required by return of the pawl to its original position (FIG. 11) and then by the movement of the connector elements from the angular position a to angular position a and after that by the rotation of the pawl as indicated by arrow (FIG. 12.) and further rotation of the connector elements to the angular position a and axial separation the main contacts, is sufficient to ensure that the current flow through the circuit including the main contacts has been cut off, since the response time of any relays operated through the pilot contacts 20, 26a, is considerably less than the time required for completion of the sequence of operations described.

It will of course be understood that the invention may be embodied in other constructions than the two specifically illustrated and described herein.

What is claimed is:

1. An electric connector comprising a pair of elements angularly displaceable from a disconnected condition in which said elements are axially separable, through an intermediate and to a connected condition in which said elements are prevented from axial separation; main contacts on the respective elements adapted for electric engagement in both said connected and intermediate conditions and pilot contacts adapted for engagement in said connected but not said intermediate condition; latching means engageable in both said connected and intermediate conditions for preventing angular displacement of the elements including a manually operable latch-control member movable to one position in which said latching means are disabled in said connected condition but enabled in said intermediate condition and movable to another position in which said latching means are disabled in said intermediate condition; whereby displacement of said elements from connected to disconnected condition requires manual movement of said latch-control member to said one position thereof angular displacement of said elements to said intermediate condition, movement of said member to said other position thereof, and angular displacement of said elements to said disconnected condition.

2. In the connector claimed in claim 1 wherein said latching means comprise a latch projecting from each element into engagement with the other element; a first and a second latch-control members cooperating with the respective latches.

3. The connector claimed in claim 1 wherein said latching means comprise a latch pin on one element and spring means urging said latch pin to a projected condition; a stop on the other element adapted for engagement with one side of said latch pin in said connected condition of the elements and another stop on said other element adapted for engagement with the opposite side of said latch pin in said intermediate condition of the elements; and said latch-control member is a movable cam having an inclined cam surface adapted in said other position of the cam to engage said opposite side of said latch pin to block the pin against said first stop in said connected condition of the elements while providing a smooth path of travel for said pin in the intermediate condition of the elements to move past said other stop; and adapted in said one position of the cam to provide a smooth path of travel for said pin in said connected condition of the element away from said one stop while bringing said pin up against said other stop in the intermediate condition of the elements.

4. The connector claimed in claim 3 wherein said cam member is rotatable and said inclined surface thereof is a helical ramp surface.

5. In the connector claimed in claim 3, an inclined surface extending from the top of said other stop down to the eriphery of said other element to permit a smooth travel of said latch pin on displacement of the elements from intermediate to disconnected condition.

6. The connector claimed in claim 1 wherein said latching means including said latch control member comprise a pivoted pawl on one element and at least a pair of cooperating circumferentially spaced teeth on the other element, the relative positioning and dimensioning being such that the pawl requires to be moved to a different position about its pivot for permitting displacement of each successive one of said teeth therepast, and means for manually moving the pawl about its pivots.

7. An electric connector comprising a pair of elements angularly displaceable from a disconnected condition in which said elements are axially separable, through an intermediate and to a connected condition in which said elements are prevented from axial separation; contacts on the respective elements adapted for electric engagement in said connected but not said intermediate condition; latching means engageable in both said connected and intermediate conditions for preventing angular displacement of the elements including a manually operable latchcontrol member movable to one position in which said latching means are disabled in said connected condition but enabled in said intermediate condition and movable to another position in which said latching means are enabled in said connected condition but disabled in said intermediate condition of the elements.

Woernly Nov. 24, 1931 Logan Mar. 28, 1939 

